Spring Arbor University is a private university with a campus in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Several people working for and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church established the school in 1873 and took over a campus used by a small school that moved to a new city. Though it started as an academy, it then brought in a junior college curriculum and became the Spring Arbor Seminary and Junior College. The popularity of that curriculum led to the college dropping academy from its name and and becoming Spring Arbor College. It later eliminated all high school courses from its curriculum and transitioned from a junior college into a four-year university.
This accredited university now offers more than 70 majors for undergrads and a small number of graduate programs. It also established partnerships with smaller colleges and campuses across the state to create a 2 + 2 program. This allows students to take two years of courses on one of those campuses before moving to the university and finishing their studies, which can help them save on the cost of their education. SAU also has extension campuses in 16 different Michigan cities, including Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids. Nearly 1,300 undergrads take classes from SAU, while its graduate enrollment tops 1,200 students. SAU continues its affiliation with the Free Methodist Church today.
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Spring Arbor University Accreditation Details
Though Spring Arbor University doesn't have regional accreditation, it does have accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which is an organization recognized by the United States Department of Education. You can apply for financial aid and use the FAFSA to see what types of aid you can get for your future studies. Five other organizations accredited the university and some of its degree programs too. The Council on Social Work Education accredited its social work degree program, and the university has accreditation from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council for all its education programs that help students meet the requirements for getting a teaching license. Spring Arbor University also has accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, National Association of Schools of Music and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
Spring Arbor University Application Requirements
As a current high school student, you will need to use the Spring Arbor online application. The university requires that you create a new account with the site that you use to fill out the application. Once you pick a user name and set up a password, you can log in and out to work on that application over time. You will also need to submit an official transcript from your high school and an ACT or SAT score. If you did not graduate high school, you'll need to submit proof that you have your GED. The university requires that transfer students use the same application but submit a transcript from any college or university attended too.
As Spring Arbor University also offers a Master of Arts in Counseling, you may need to use the graduate application. The university offers an online version of this application that lets you create your own unique password and user name. You must then submit a transcript that either shows when you completed your degree or the estimated date that you will finish your degree. SAU asks for two letters of recommendation as well that must come from professionals familiar with your school or work experience. Each letter must be at least one page long but no longer than two pages.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Looking at the cost of attending SAU can help you see how much you will need to pay out of pocket and how you can use financial aid to pay down those costs. Undergrads pay a little over $27,000 a year for tuition each year. This is the same for all full-time students, but part-time students pay $635 per credit hour taken. You are a part-time student if you take 11 credits or less in a semester. The cost of fees, room and board brings the total cost for full-time students up to around $37,000 a year. Graduate programs charge at least $530 per credit hour, but some of these programs cost up to $665 per credit hour.
The average financial aid package awarded to incoming freshmen by SAU is more than $24,000 a year. If you qualify for the average size package, you'll significantly cut down on the amount you need to pay each year. As soon as you submit your application, you can submit the FAFSA. The university immediately processes your aid package as soon as the FAFSA arrives. Full-time undergrads qualify for more aid types than graduate and part-time students do. These students can take out loans, qualify for grants and take part in the university's work study program. Grad students have access to certain grants and loans too.
Psychology and Counseling Programs
The Department of Psychology at Spring Arbor University offers a psychology major for undergrads. Many of those who graduated from this program are now in the nation's top graduate programs in psychology. Once you complete all required general education courses, you'll need to take 36 credits of psychology courses as well as some electives. The university offers a number of unique classes that you can select from like adolescent and early adult development, lifespan development, abnormal psychology and methods and procedures of counseling. You will also take a course designed to show you how you can incorporate your religious beliefs and use your faith while working in the psychology field.
Some of the university's psychology program graduates enroll in the SAU Master of Arts in Psychology program too. This program features a concentration in school counseling for those who want to work with students in school settings and a concentration in mental health counseling for those who want to work in a clinical setting with patients. You'll do a practicum that requires 100 hours of work before doing an internship that requires you do 600 hours of practical work. If you choose the school counseling option, the university can divide the time that you work between multiple schools to help you gain experience working with children of different ages. This Spring Arbor University program includes courses on counseling research, program evaluation, human growth and development and social and cultural groups.